The present invention is directed to infant pacifiers. More particularly, the present invention is directed to infant pacifiers which stimulate sucking behavior in infants.
Many babies do not have fully developed or coordinated sucking and swallowing reflexes. Theses deficiencies may exist, for example, with tube-fed or premature babies. The use of conventional nipples and pacifiers is insufficient to stimulate sucking to improve these capacities. These deficiencies can prevent babies from obtaining the proper nourishment needed for healthy growth.
The promotion of non-nutritive sucking behavior in infants has been used as a remedy for the deficiencies. It is considered a valid therapeutic objective, because it accelerates recovery of feeding reflexes and promotes gastric motility. Past attempts to stimulate sucking have incorporated tactile stimuli, taste stimuli, flavored or scented pacifiers, or any combination of the three.
Nevertheless, taste stimuli have not proved to be therapeutically successful. In addition, certain pacifiers which provide some flavor or scent to the infant, but which are not dependent on the sucking activity of the infant, do not act as direct stimuli. Thus, there is a need to improve on conventionally used tactile stimuli and other flavors or scents presently used to encourage infant sucking.
To meet this and other needs, and in view of its purposes, the present invention provides a pacifier including a mechanism for generating an odor which stimulates sucking behavior. As an infant user sucks on the pacifier, the sucking causes an odor to be generated from the pacifier in a location proximate to the infant""s nostrils. The odor is preferably a pleasant odor, which encourages the infant to continue sucking. The infant is operatively conditioned to suck on the pacifier so that it produces the odor, thus encouraging the infant""s sucking and feeding reflexes.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the pacifier contains a nipple which, when sucked, causes the pacifier to release an odor which stimulates sucking behavior in, for example, an infant. The odor release may be prompted by a pressure differential in the pacifier, fluid flow or evaporation, any combination of those factors, or any other suitable mechanism which causes the odor to be released when the pacifier is sucked.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pacifier contains a housing, a shield, an odorant (i.e., odor source), air channels, and a nipple which, along with the housing, creates an airspace. When the nipple is sucked by an infant, the airspace is reduced which forces air across the odorant, thus picking up the scent. The odor proceeds through the air channels to outside of the shield where the scent is detected by the infant.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the pacifier is used in a method of diagnosing what odor or odors are pleasing. The pacifier can be used, according to this method, to stimulate feeding reflexes in infants by testing the pacifier using different odors and observing whether different odors act as sucking stimuli. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the pacifier is used in a method of operant-conditioning an infant to stimulate feeding reflexes by providing the infant with the pacifier, such that sucking of the pacifier by the infant produces a pleasant odor for the infant, and allowing the infant to continue sucking. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the pacifier is used to calm or soothe an infant in a state of agitation or pain.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention.